Downtown grocery to open

Attention Mall mavens: In September, this could be your corner grocer.PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR

For years now, we've heard rumors about a grocery store coming to the Downtown Mall area. In November 2007, it was reported that a grocery store was opening up in the still unoccupied A & N store/Obama headquarters space on the corner of East Main and Fifth Streets, but it was not to be. In fact, sources at the time told Dish that there was never any plan for a grocery store there. After all, what grocer would operate in just 2,400 square feet of space without drive-up parking?

Well, now it appears a grocer has decided to operate at the corner of 4th and East Market Street, in the familiar building that has been home to Cadogan Square Antiques, currently advertising a closing sale.

"We were lucky enough to find a space large enough for this purpose in a beautiful old building," says soon-to-be grocer Raphael Strumlauf. "We're looking forward to making this a convenient, enjoyable place for the people that live and work in the downtown area."

Strumlauf says they will carry a full range of grocery items, as well as fresh seafood, locally grown meats, and produce. "We're also planning an extensive selection of prepared foods made in our own kitchen, that include roasted meats and a wide range of ethnic dishes," he says.

Strumlauf says he and his partners plan on opening the grocery/deli, tentatively named the Market Street Market, sometime in early September.